Vst Plugins Directory

As shown some time ago for the Mac, today's tip shows you how to organize your plug-ins on windows, in order to find and load them quickly into Blue Cat's PatchWork or MB-7 Mixer.

As you will see, It's no rocket science, and this will greatly improve your experience and reduce the time to load your plug-ins.

Spending Too Much Time Looking For Plug-Ins?

So first confirm you have installed the 64 bit or 32 bit version of the plugin into the C:Program FilesVstplugins folder or in the C:Program Files (x86)VstPlugins folder. Now, IF the VST manufacturer does not have a 64 bit version you will need to run the Studio One 32 bit version to use that plugin. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.

Some people have been asking for the capability to load the plug-ins directly from the menu instead of having to open an Explorer Window. While this may be added in the future to our software, be aware that it may never beat what you can already do today with the Windows Explorer or Finder, as you will see below…

Vst Plugins Directory

How To

On Windows, whatever you do, your VST plug-ins folder will probably quickly look like a huge mess, unfortunately…

Make sure 'Use VST Plug-In Custom Folder' is set to On. Make sure that the VST Plug-In Custom Folder is set to the same file path where you installed the Plug Ins, C:Program Files(x86)VSTPlugins or C:Program FilesVST Plugins (depending on if you're using 32/64 bit versions). On Windows and Mac OS X, Audacity is a 32-bit application so won't see 64-bit versions of VST plug-ins, even on 64-bit operating systems.; On GNU/Linux, 32-bit systems will have 32-bit versions of Audacity which won't see 64-bit VST plug-ins. 64-bit systems will have 64-bit versions of Audacity which will see 64-bit VST plug-ins but won't see 32-bit plug-ins. Navigate to Studio on the top bar, then click VST Plug-in Manager. Click the Cog icon, then click the + sign. Select Add Location, navigate to where you installed your plug-in (s) to then click the Refresh icon.

There is however a very simple way to overcome this issue and organize your plug-ins properly: it will just take you a few minutes!

Vst Plugin Folder Windows 10

To quickly access your plug-ins, without modifying the original install locations (for optimal compatibility), just do the following:
1. Create a new folder somewhere convenient on your system. For example in the ' My Documents' directory.
2. Label the new folder as 'Plug-ins'.
3. Drag it into your Sidebar Favorites section to make it available as a shortcut there.
4. Go to your VST plug-ins folder.
5. Right click on each plugin you want and choose 'Create shortcut' (multi-selection works too).
6. Move these shortcuts to your new folder, and create sub-folders to organize them.

Here you go! You can now access plug-ins quickly using the shortcuts, inside the appropriate folders:

VST Plug-Ins organized into subfolders, directly accessible from the Favorites Sidebar

Additional Tip: You can also choose to add several folders to the favorite bar instead of a single one, to access directly the mostly used plug-ins that you use most of the time.

How To Install Vst Plugin

One More Tip: It is possible to add a shortcut to the same plug-in in different folders, as it may be valid for several categories.

Look at me tekst. Not Fancy Enough? Add Some Icons!

Once you have properly organized the plug-ins thanks to shortcuts and linked to them from the favorites bar, you may want to add some colors to it and change the icons. You can set a different icon for each folder, and even for each plug-in:

Vst Folder Location Windows 10

Plug-Ins Folders with Custom Icons

With custom icons, it is even easier to find the plug-ins: a glance will suffice to pickup the right one!

Free Search Included!

Foxit phantompdf standard 7. And one more thing… Did you know that you can then use the standard windows search feature to find the plug-ins? Just type in a name and you'll get it instantly!

VST Plug-In Search Included !

Conclusion

Simply using the Windows Explorer properly and taking the time to organize things will greatly improve the plug-in loading experience. There are even features that are not available in most host applications (how many do provide custom icons and search?).

Do you still need an included plug-in menu? Please discuss below!